The Meta Games
by pokemon fan 98
Summary: No one was supposed to find out. If they did, it was supposed to be over with quickly. But it was Cisco... it had to be Cisco. "Lady and Gentleman," Cisco announced, "let the Meta Games begin!"
1. The Name of the Games

It was an accident, really.

No one was supposed to find out.

When they watched the security tapes of just outside S.T.A.R. Labs, though, there was no denying it. Why they chose that day to watch the tapes, when they hadn't done it in months…

The grin spreading across Cisco's face was unbearable. Caitlin stared very hard at the wall across the room, a blush creeping across her cheeks. Barry was practically radiating his amusement.

 _Just get it over with_ , Frost said.

"Alright."

As soon as Caitlin spoke, whatever spell had been keeping her friends silent broke. Cisco's laugh filled the room, Barry's chuckle warm as always but somehow still hurtful.

"Is it really that funny?" she demanded, a bit of irritation lacing through her tone.

Cisco managed to stop laughing enough to speak. "It couldn't be better."

"How did you even…?" Barry asked.

Caitlin exhaled gruffly. "It's ice. It's slippery."

"How's the Ice Queen doing?"

 _Let me show him_ , Frost growled.

"We slipped on a barely visible patch of ice getting out of the car. It doesn't mean anything."

The security camera footage was still displayed on the monitor, and Caitlin turned it off with a sharp movement. Barry seemed like he was already moving past it. Cisco still had a slight smile. "I think it does," he said.

"What's up?" Barry asked.

Cisco was looking at Caitlin. "You guys don't have anything to do today, right?"

"I mean, Cicada's still out there, but there's not much we can do until he comes up on our radar," Barry said. "Iris and Ralph are looking into something we can use against him. Sherloque's getting… something to help Grace."

"Okay." Cisco started walking around, apparently deep in thought. "That one's obvious, after the video… that might be fun…"

"Cisco, what are you planning?" Caitlin asked, half intrigued and half dreading the answer. He'd mentioned the video, which meant he wasn't letting it go yet.

"It's settled," Cisco said, clapping his hands together. "We'll have a tournament, with trials specifically chosen for us. No powers, just skills."

"Cisco -," Caitlin started, raising a hand.

"Man, I don't think -," Barry tried.

Cisco wasn't listening to their objections. He had a gleam in his eye that Caitlin knew too well. Frost recognized it as well. _I told you to check the security tapes,_ she grumbled. _If you'd checked them before they got here, we wouldn't be in this mess._

Mess indeed.

Cisco spread his arms wide, looking at Barry and Caitlin. "Lady and gentleman… welcome to the first Meta Games!"

* * *

 _A/N: You know when you joke about people messing up the things they usually do best? Like if you're a runner and you trip when the race first starts? I thought it would be a fun start to a story. And we know Cisco would jump on the opportunity to do something about it. So let the Meta Games begin!_


	2. Why?

"If there's no powers, why is it called the Meta Games?" Barry asked.

Caitlin just stared at him for a second. "More importantly, why would we participate in them?"

"Simple," Cisco said, crossing his arms. "It's your best chance at regaining your dignity. You might be okay with us having seen that video, but I bet Frosty isn't too happy."

From the look on Caitlin's face, Barry thought Frost was telling her exactly how unhappy she was about that fact. Barry was surprised by how willing he was to give Cisco's game a try. He shouldn't be. He'd told Iris he would join her and Ralph this afternoon. He'd almost killed Cicada only a few days ago. He shouldn't let himself have fun. But he found the idea of relaxing with his friends too appealing to deny himself. It was just one day…

"I'm in," he said.

Caitlin quirked an eyebrow at him. "Really?"

"Why not?"

"Because it's stupid."

"Sounds like someone's scared," Cisco said. "It also sounded kind of like Frost."

Caitlin looked at Barry. He partially smiled, giving a slight nod of encouragement. Caitlin sighed. "Fine. But Frost gets to participate too."

"I'm counting on it. I've got one part planned with her in mind." Cisco brought over a dry-erase board. "The Meta Games will have five trials, testing you both physically and mentally. I'll judge each one."

Barry frowned. "You're not competing?"

"We need a judge. Besides, with my hands…"

"Cisco, your hands have healed," Caitlin said.

Cisco rubbed at his left palm. "They still twinge."

Caitlin scoffed. Barry shook his head. "Okay, Gamekeeper. What's the first trial?"

"Since ice inspired the Meta Games, it only feels right to kick them off with an ice-based challenge. Frost, if you'd assist me here."

They looked at Caitlin. "She wants to know why," she said when she didn't change.

"We need to make a temporary arena in the speed lab."

Barry watched as Frost appeared, and had to fight back a smile at the look of complete attitude she gave Cisco. "You need something from me?" she asked.

"I want you to coat the speed lab in ice."

"Done." She walked away quickly, with a smirk Barry wasn't sure was a good thing.

"Just the track," Cisco said, running to the door and peeking his head out. "Just the track!" He straightened and looked at Barry. "She's gonna ice the whole lab, isn't she?"

Barry's smile broke through. "You did insult her."

"Only to get her to do the games."

"Frost might not see it that way."

* * *

The speed lab was completely frozen over. Cisco hadn't seriously thought she would do it, and had gone striding confidently into the room. And promptly fallen on his ass.

"Okay," he said, sitting on the ground as Frost chuckled. "Alright, you got your payback. It's easy to slip on ice. Can we be serious now?"

"I guess so." Frost's voice, though always harder than Caitlin's, was gentle, and she extended a hand to help Cisco up. "So what are we doing for the first trial?"

"I'm going to add some obstacles now, and then you two will race. You'll need skates, though."

Barry disappeared and returned with two pairs of ice skates: one gleaming white, the other shining black. "I haven't worn ice skates since I was a teenager," he said. "This should be interesting."

"I haven't skated on ice that wasn't mine… ever."

Cisco smiled. "You two stay out here. I'm gonna go set up our course."

"Do you need me to keep you steady?" Frost asked.

Cisco elected to ignore her. He also ignored their snickers as he slipped again in the mouth of the lab. They were laughing at him right now. He knew how clumsy they both were. He'd been waiting for an excuse to do something like this for ages.

He could really use the laughter their mishaps would bring about.

* * *

 _A/N: The next chapter will actually be the beginning of the Meta Games, I promise. The only reason I'm not posting the first trial yet is because I'm still working on the later ones. But I'm planning on working on them today and tomorrow, so I'll update again soon. Who do you think should win the Meta Games?_


	3. Skate, Caity, Skate!

_A/N: This takes place between episodes 11 and 12. The beginning of episode 12 showed most of Team Flash doing well on ice... we're gonna pretend they struggled with it a bit more, for this trial. You'll see what I mean._

* * *

Frost let Caitlin take control right before the race. Caitlin thought it was a defensive move: neither she nor Frost were very confident on ice unless it was under their control, but Frost would be too embarrassed to lose to Barry on any ice. Since there was a possibility of her losing, she was letting Caitlin do the race. She viewed ice as her territory, and didn't do well with being embarrassed. That was part of why she'd made the extra slippery patch by the door as a trap for Cisco.

Caitlin tightened the laces of her second skate and looked at Barry. He was fiddling with his own skates, but noticed her and met her eyes. "Ready?" he asked.

"Don't laugh," Caitlin said.

They stood at the same time. Caitlin's ankles bowed to the side, and she tensed immediately, to maintain her balance. She saw Barry's arms fly out to keep himself upright too. Yeah, this was gonna go _really_ well.

"Are we ready?" Cisco asked, walking over to them. (Caitlin noticed that he was walking extra carefully… he probably expected Frost to have put out another slick spot for him. Not that Caitlin would have been surprised, but Frost hadn't.) "You need to do two laps around the speed lab ice track. I've placed obstacles for you, so don't just sprint."

"That won't be a problem," Barry said quietly. Maybe it was only meant for Caitlin to hear.

"Ready, set… go!"

It wasn't much of a race for the first ten feet. Caitlin was focused on moving without losing her balance. She could see Barry doing the same thing in her peripheral vision, but tried not to pay him any mind. Frost may never have skated like this, but she had. It had been a long time ago, but she was a quick study. After an agonizingly slow start, she started to feel the rhythm of the skates sliding across the ice. Her movements became more coordinated, and steps became glides.

 _Alright Caity!_ Frost said.

Caitlin smiled as she rounded the first corner and skated around a cone Cisco had put in the middle of the track. If she could just go a bit faster now, this trial would be done quickly.

She could hear the sound of skates scraping across the ice, and turned her head slightly to see Barry approaching at a steady pace. He didn't seem wobbly anymore. Apparently he was a quick study too.

Caitlin pressed on with her lead, going as fast as she dared with unknown obstacles ahead. She wobbled a few times, but stayed upright. Unfortunately, Barry also stayed right on her tail.

"We're not too bad at this!" he said. They were approaching the starting point.

"You're gonna jinx us." They passed Cisco, who seemed disappointed. Knowing that he would only show enjoyment for this task if they fell a lot, Caitlin was fine with him being disappointed. Final lap, she thought. She'd been through the course once. She knew where the obstacles were. This first stretch only had two cones, so she could –

 _Skate, Caity, skate!_ Frost cried as Barry shot past. He'd apparently realized the same thing she had, though he had acted faster. Caitlin pushed off with her back foot, ducking her head slightly. _What are you doing?_ Frost asked.

"It's what the ice skaters do on TV."

 _Whatever. Just pass him again! We only have half a lap left. We can't lose on the ice._

Determination steeled Caitlin's nerves. She couldn't worry about falling. As she and Barry reached the final curve in the oval track, she dug her skate into the ice and lunged forward, moving to the right of Barry.

Barry also moved to the right, to avoid an empty beaker in his way. His skate locked with the back of hers, and she reacted instinctively as she started to fall forward. Her hand shot out and grabbed Barry's arm, which she used to steady herself – and launch herself forward, across the finish line.

"We have a winner!" Cisco said loudly.

Barry slid to a graceful stop. Too graceful for someone who supposedly couldn't skate well, Caitlin would later realize. But in the present moment it didn't occur to her. She was too busy smiling. "That was hardly a fair victory," Barry said. "You pushed off of me."

"You started to trip me!" Caitlin said.

"That was an accident."

"So was mine."

They stared at each other for a few seconds, and then the tension broke as they laughed.

"Okay, I'll give it to you," Barry said. "Since you're the ice queen."

Inside their mind, Frost was practically gloating. _And don't you forget it._

* * *

 _A/N: I feel like controlling ice and using skates to move on it would be different, so Caitlin would have to get used to skates again (and Frost has never used ice skates before). And Barry... well, Barry was perfectly willing to wait for Caitlin to get used to skates again before really going for it. Let me know what you thought of the first trial!_


	4. Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock

_A/N: Here's the second trial!_

* * *

Cisco drew a long line across the dry-erase board, dividing it in half. On one side he wrote Barry's name, on the other Caitlin's. Under Caitlin's name he drew a short vertical line. "The results of the first trial: one point for Caitlin."

"What's next?" Barry asked.

"The first trial tested you physically. The second will test you mentally. A game of chess, to see who's a better strategist."

Barry grinned. Chess was familiar. He knew it well, from when Dr. Wells… Thawne… had played it with him early in his training. It had been some time since he'd played, actually.

"Barry vs. Frost," Cisco said.

"Why can't I play?" Caitlin asked.

"It's not that you can't, but Frost was supposed to do the skating trial, so I had to switch things around."

Caitlin seemed to be staring into space for a few seconds. "She doesn't think that's it," she said.

It took Barry a few seconds, and then he drew in a startled breath. He knew Cisco was trying to make this as funny as possible, but if he was implying what Barry thought he was…

Cisco blinked and shook his head. "No, that's it."

Caitlin shot him a dirty look before Frost took over. Frost took a step toward Cisco. "Is there something you want to say, Cisco?" Her voice was low. "Maybe something about my intelligence?"

"No, nothing comes to mind," Cisco said nervously.

Frost studied him through narrowed eyes. "Good. Cause I'm just as smart as Caity, Vibe-boy."

"I never said you weren't. You might be smarter."

Barry closed his eyes. Cisco didn't even realize he was digging himself deeper into a hole.

"We should play," Barry said, clapping his hands together. The action made the others stop looking at each other. "I should warn you, I'm pretty good at chess."

"Are you, though?" Cisco asked. He moved around the lab, fully confident again. "I ordered this a while ago, but haven't tried it yet."

Barry watched warily as Cisco brought in a large box. He took out a structure that had what looked like seven chess boards on it, each on a slightly different level. They weren't all the same size, though. "What the hell is that?"

"3-D chess. Sheldon made it."

Sheldon? The name wasn't familiar. Barry looked at Frost to see if she knew who that was. "He's a character from The Big Bang Theory." She looked at Cisco and rolled her eyes. "Nerd."

Barry had forgotten Cisco liked that show so much. "I have no idea how to play this," Barry said.

Cisco tossed a rule book at him without breaking stride, still placing the chess structure in its spot. Apparently he was going to have to learn.

* * *

Barry had to speed-read the instructions twice before they made sense, and then spent the next twenty minutes explaining it to Caitlin and Cisco. The fact that even Cisco hadn't known how to play hadn't deterred him, and Barry had brought two chairs out for himself and Frost once they were ready to start.

Cisco also made them do rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock to determine who played as the white chess pieces, and therefore got to go first. At least, Cisco tried to make them play that version of rock-paper-scissors. He went through all the options with Barry ("when I play Spock, you want to play theory, because theory disproves Spock"), and then started to do the same with Frost. That ended when Cisco told her she was wrong about using the lizard, and in the next turn she fashioned an icicle. "Yep, that's a winner," Cisco said in a higher-than-normal voice.

Barry won the rock-paper-scissors (the original one), so he had the first move. He didn't know if Frost knew chess or if Caitlin was helping her out (not that she was incapable or anything… man, he would be wary for the next week because of Cisco…). Whatever was going on in her head, she did surprise Barry a few times.

Ultimately, though…

"The winner of the second trial is Ba-rry Allen!" Cisco announced.

"You do realize we're the only ones here, right?" Frost asked.

Cisco drew a line on Barry's side of the board. "The Meta Games may not have the best turnout, but we're gonna treat them like any other official game." He turned to face them. "Trial three! Soccer!"

Almost all of Barry's amusement at having won the second trial vanished in an instant. "Cisco, you know what happens when I play baseball." Soccer would only be worse.

Cisco grinned evilly. "This trial was made exactly for that reason."

* * *

 _A/N: Leave me a review! I keep going back and forth: should Barry win, or Caitlin?_


	5. In the Face!

Caitlin watched Cisco roll the ball into their "field" with some amusement.

 _You're having fun_ , Frost said. _But why'd you let Barry win at chess?_

Caitlin ran toward the ball. Barry had a head start, so it looked like she would have to play defense from the beginning.

 _It's okay. I just want to know._

"I don't know what you're talking about," Caitlin said, low enough that Barry wouldn't notice.

Frost hummed, obviously thinking she was lying. Caitlin tried to focus on the game. Cisco had tasked them with scoring two goals. Even without his speed Barry was faster than her. Her best chance was to get the ball and try to score quickly.

She kicked out, putting the ball out of reach of both she and Barry. He looked at her for a second, surprised, and then started to reclaim the ball. Caitlin was a step ahead of him. A mischievous thought occurred to her. Frost supported it, and she sent the ball ahead of her again.

It worked a few times. She blocked Barry's progress toward her goal and kicked the ball away, making him run to get it as she half-heartedly followed. He was smart, though, and stopped when she kicked it away again. "You're trying to tire me out?"

"Uh…" She sprinted for the ball, trying to take advantage of his disbelief at her strategy. She had a window of a few seconds to get the ball into the goal before Barry stole it back. Unfortunately, her aim was atrocious.

Barry quickly got the ball and scored the first goal of the game. Maybe quickly was a stretch, actually. There were a lot of goal attempts before one made it through. As they stood facing each other in the middle of the "field", Barry shook his head in mock disapproval. "Don't do that," Caitlin said with a slight laugh.

"I knew you were competitive, but still…" He was grinning, though, so she knew he actually approved. She got the ball first when Cisco rolled it out to them, dribbling it toward Barry's goal. Until all of a sudden she wasn't running but tripping, because Barry was sliding to steal the ball. A fully committed slide, where he landed on his backside with one leg bent behind him and the other stretched out. Where the hell had that skill come from? Caitlin couldn't begin to recover her balance and sprawled forward as she tripped over Barry's leg. She scrabbled upright, knees complaining from hitting the hard floor. Barry was already retrieving the ball.

Caitlin figured she had one more good chance to get it away from him before he stopped being at all playful, and took it, launching the ball toward his goal from across the room. It was a good kick. It just wasn't good aim, and her eyes widened as she saw it veer toward Cisco.

Barry used his speed, moving to Cisco's side and catching the ball right in front of his face. He held it in one hand. Cisco looked at Caitlin with an open mouth.

"Cisco, I didn't mean it!"

"If I had a whistle right now I'd blow it! That could have hit me in the face. In the face!"

"That's always a risk with sports," Caitlin pointed out.

It was the wrong thing to say. "Penalty shot, or kick, to Barry! No goalie!"

Barry gave Caitlin a look as he went to stand in front of Caitlin's goal. She understood him to be asking if he should miss intentionally, so they could keep going. She shook her head once, in a tiny motion that Cisco wouldn't see, and saw Barry nod in the same way.

"Winner Barry Allen," Cisco said. He walked over to them, giving Caitlin the stink eye. "I should put you in a time-out box, but… I really want the next trial to start. This is the one I've been most excited for."

Caitlin narrowed her eyes. The way he said that… had he been planning this before this morning?

"Enough with the suspense," Barry said. "What's the next trial?"

Cisco was actually bouncing with excitement as they walked back to the cortex. "Hand-to-hand combat."

* * *

 _A/N: Yes, you read that right. Cisco's just all over the place with this tournament!_


	6. We Both Heal Fast

"Hand-to-hand combat? Cisco, you've gotta be kidding with this one."

Caitlin was pretty sure she and Barry had the same expression. Cisco probably didn't see it, though, as he drew a second line on Barry's side of the board. "Everything else has been a game of some sort," Barry said. "That's fighting."

"That's awesome skill," Cisco said, capping the marker. "Skill I know both of you have. Well, Barry and Frost. I'm gonna assume you can fight too," he said, looking at Caitlin, "but I want Frost to do this trial."

"Why do you want us to fight?" Barry asked.

"Ralph told me it was the two of you fighting Cicada the night you relocated those metas. You gave him a good beating, teaming up, and you barely used your powers to do it. Isn't it natural for me to want to see your skills in person?"

Caitlin looked at Barry, who shrugged slightly. "I guess."

 _It_ was _fun teaming up_ , Frost said. _Cisco's not wrong that we're both pretty good at close combat._

"I just love how modest you are," Caitlin said under her breath. Cisco and Barry looked at her, and she chuckled. "Frost is all for it."

"I thought she would be," Cisco said.

Barry was looking at Caitlin. "As long as we're careful. No full-force blows. Half-speed."

Caitlin let Frost take over. "Full speed or what's the point?" she asked. "We won't hurt each other. And if we do, we both heal fast."

"That's reassuring," Barry murmured. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Alright, let's do it before I realize what a bad idea it is."

Frost grinned at Cisco in a rare moment of approval.

* * *

Barry and Frost changed into S.T.A.R. Labs apparel before starting the fourth trial. Cisco laid down a few padded training mats at Barry's request. Finally Barry had no more excuses to delay it. Part of him was curious to see how they would fare against each other, but he would be fine figuring it out with test dummies, or in a simulation. Barry could never go all out against Caitlin or Frost. He hoped they couldn't against him, but knew that Frost was more likely to be able to than Caitlin.

He realized she was being careful pretty quickly, and understood in seconds that he could go all out in one respect. If she could strike out at him and land a quick thrust to his chest, but only have the force of a touch, then he could do the same. Speed didn't have to mean force.

"You ready to really go, Flash?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, completely honest. He had to stop worrying so much. "Let's do it."

He moved forward as she stretched back, as if anticipating his movement. He wasn't really aware of their exact movements. It wasn't like when he'd fought Cicada, though. Then, he'd been blinded by rage, his strikes desperate and powerful. Now, facing Frost, he wasn't angry in the slightest. He was enjoying himself, one second blocking her hand with his forearm and the next feigning a slicing move that at full power would have knocked her back. He truly had to pay attention, taking in the way her eyes moved, the way she tensed when she was going to press forward or jump back. He could see her analyzing him in the same way, in the worthy opponent way, and their dance continued.

Because it really did seem like a dance. They moved all over the mat, rolling out of the way of low blows and springing back up with counters, progressively getting more intense. Barry tripped Frost once, but before he could move she wrapped her legs around the back of his knees, pulling him down. She twisted so she leaned over him, her hands moving to pin his wrists down. Barry exhaled in minor frustration.

"Whistle!" Cisco shouted. "Frost wins!"

She rose to her feet in a fluid movement and held out her hand. Barry took it and stood, catching his breath. They were both breathing heavier than before, and Barry smiled. "I won't doubt you again, Cisco. That was a lot of fun."

"That's right you won't doubt me," he heard Cisco say as the man started walking to the dry erase board.

"We make a good team," Frost said. "You sure we need a device to stop Cicada? We could just beat him up again."

Barry laughed. "He'll probably be a little more cautious than last time. A physical attack might not be enough."

Frost walked over to perch on a desk, reaching for a water bottle with an amused twitch of her lips. "I'll be ready anyway."

Barry grabbed his own water bottle, still smiling as he took a drink. It was good to know they had a backup plan, if whatever they did try to use on Cicada didn't work. It kept him from worrying about the next time they faced him. If all else failed, he and Frost could take Cicada down on their own.

* * *

 _A/N: What did you think? I LOVED the ending fight-scene with Cicada in episode 11. Frost and Barry were fantastic! Barry's moves were intense, and Frost completely held her own against Cicada (I was so happy she got a good fight scene!). It made me wonder how they would fare against each other, and this fanfiction is the result. I really hope they team up again soon._

 _The storyline the show is doing now, with them looking for other ways to beat Cicada... am I the only one who thinks they should just fight him again? If Barry had knocked him out, he wouldn't be a problem anymore. But he didn't. Why can't they just beat him up again, like Frost said? Let me know what you thought about their fighting. The final trial comes tomorrow!_


	7. You Haven't Got a Clue

"We've got a tied score," Cisco said, spinning to face them. He really was a good showman, Caitlin thought. "Caitlin won the ice-skating and hand-to-hand combat. Barry won chess and soccer. I was gonna put in a failsafe in case it was three to one, and make the last trial worth three points so anyone could win, but I guess I don't need to."

"If you were so excited for the last trial, the final one should be interesting," Barry said.

"Interesting, yes, but trial four will still be my favorite. Your last trial will test your detective skills. Drumroll please."

Neither Caitlin nor Barry made a sound, and when Cisco shot them a look that said "really?", Caitlin just raised an eyebrow to say "what did you expect?".

Cisco moved behind the desk and picked something up, then held it up over his head. It was a big board game with blocky white letters across the front. "Clue!"

"Clue is gonna test our detective skills?" Barry asked.

"You have played it before, right?"

"Well, yeah, but there's a certain amount of luck in the game. It's not just observation and deduction."

"Neither is life. Stop ruining the moment," Cisco said in a serious voice. He cleared his throat and walked over, holding the game out to them. "This is the perfect way to conclude the Meta Games! Will Snow and Frost win it all, or does the CSI have what it takes to solve the murder?"

Caitlin sat down on the floor. "Sit down, Professor Plum."

Barry raised his eyebrows. "Why do I have to be Professor Plum?"

"It's the closest fit. I'm going to be Miss Peacock, since she wears a lot of blue."

"So who wears a lot of red?"

Caitlin held up the figurine. "Miss Scarlet." She inspected it. "Kind of intense for a kid's game. You wanna go by color and be Miss Scarlet, Barry?"

He rolled his eyes at her teasing, grabbing for the figurine in the purple blazer. "Professor Plum?"

"You catch on quick."

"Hey, it's been ages since I played."

She shuffled the location cards while he mixed up the character ones. He shuffled the weapon cards as she chose one at random from each pile and slipped them into the orange envelope. "We just roll to see who goes first, right?" Barry asked once they'd set up the board.

"After we look at our cards. Shuffle please."

He divided the remaining cards between them, and as Barry started marking his investigative pad, Caitlin's eyes darted over to him.

 _You're not trying to see which section he's writing in, are you?_ Frost asked.

Caitlin snapped her eyes back to her own paper, marking off the people, rooms, and weapons she knew didn't relate to the murder.

The game was quiet, the main commentary consisting of complaints when Caitlin accused Barry in a room across the board, or he did the same. "I was just about to reach the study," Caitlin said the second time her figure was moved, as Barry accused her in the kitchen.

"Now you've reached the kitchen."

Caitlin narrowed her eyes. Play continued. Then…

"I think it was Colonel Mustard, in the dining room, with a pipe."

Barry looked at his cards. "I don't have any objections." He set them down, looking at her carefully. "Are you gonna open the envelope, see if you're right?"

She bit the inside of her lip. "No." Her gaze flitted over to him to see his reaction. He was looking at his investigative pad seriously.

"Alright. Colonel Mustard, in the dining room, with a knife."

"Dude, you need to roll the dice before you say your guess," Cisco interjected.

"I'm one space away from the door. No matter what I'll get into the room." Cisco couldn't argue with that, and Barry looked at Caitlin. "Well? Any objections?"

Caitlin looked at her cards again, though she knew she didn't have any. "None. Are you going to check the envelope?"

He winced. "You know, I think I should probably… do it." He picked up the envelope as he started to smile.

"You're such a tease!" Caitlin cried.

"Not only that… I'm also the CSI who just solved this case."

"The cards match?" Cisco asked.

Barry spread them on the board. Caitlin looked at her detective pad slowly. _I told you not to double-check_ , Frost said.

"That's it," Cisco said, grinning. "The final trial goes to Barry."

* * *

 _A/N: Hey guys! There's the last trial! I'll post the final chapter tomorrow._


	8. From Now On

_A/N: Hi guys! This is the final chapter of The Meta Games. I just wanted to thank everyone who read, and those who reviewed. Hope you like it!_

* * *

Cisco drew a third line on Barry's side of the board as Caitlin and Barry packed up Clue. "I was worried you had it, at first," Barry said to her.

"I wanted to double-check."

"Me too. You just kind of did it for me." Barry and Iris used to do that to each other whenever they played Clue. He wondered if Nora had played before, and realized he hadn't heard from her today. Maybe she was with Iris. He thought they would have to play Clue tonight.

They looked at Cisco and saw him spread his arms wide. "Lady and Gentleman. We've reached the conclusion of today's events. Congratulations to the winner, of the first annual –

"Annual?" Caitlin murmured.

"- Meta Games, BARRY ALLEN!"

Caitlin clapped, and Barry faked a deep bow. "Thank you, thank you."

"I should go," Caitlin said. "Frost wants to train."

"Yeah, I need to go see what Iris and Ralph have found," Barry said. He looked at Cisco. "You leaving too?"

The engineer was back at the desk, all light signs of humor gone. A set of concentration had replaced the childish expression. "Nah, I'm gonna do some more work on the meta cure. I'll see you tomorrow."

Barry rode the elevator with Caitlin, leaving Cisco in the lab. "He's really serious about that cure, isn't he?"

"Cisco may like jokes, but he's serious about all of his projects. Even the games he had us do today."

Barry half-smiled. Yeah, that was Cisco alright. "They were pretty fun."

"You let me win the ice skating trial."

"What?" If she'd been planning on catching him off guard, she'd succeeded. She'd blindsided him, actually, so he didn't have time to hide his shock.

She raised an eyebrow. "Can you honestly tell me you tried your hardest?"

He opened his mouth immediately but took a few seconds to respond. When he did, it was by placing one hand to the back of his head, a slight upturn coming to his lips. "I guess I could have tried a little harder. But you were embarrassed, and if the ice had been yours it would have been a different story," he justified quickly. He let his arm fall back to his side, looking at her carefully. If she was calling him out… "You've seen me play chess before. You had to recognize the strategy I was using."

Her lips pursed and she tried to look innocent. He saw right through it. "You let me win the chess trial."

"I guess I could have tried a little harder," she teased. "You're still the better chess player." She walked toward her car, then paused. "Why did you really let me win?"

It seemed easier for her to ask it with her back to him, and he felt a twinge of guilt. That was exactly why. "I wanted us to have fun like we used to. Before evil speedsters started wrecking our lives and family pulled our attention away from our friendship."

She turned, her mouth open, concern in her eyes. "Barry, I would never say -,"

"I love my family more than anything. But I've missed this. I've missed hanging out with you and Cisco. I've missed _you_ , Cait."

"Even if we don't spend as much time together as we used to, you're still one of my best friends," she said after a few seconds. "Nothing's changed."

Barry met her gaze. "I've changed. And I'm gonna make sure we don't drift apart anymore."

Barry didn't really see Caitlin's reaction. Not her expression, anyway. She closed the distance between them with a swift step and embraced him. Barry immediately wrapped his arms around her, sighing in content that she wasn't mad at him. He really owed Cisco a drink for making them do the ridiculous tournament. It had given him a chance to say what had been on his mind for a while.

Caitlin let go and took a step back, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I better go."

"Sherloque should have his plan for helping Grace tomorrow. One step closer to stopping Cicada."

She knew what he was saying. Things would only get more hectic from this point on, for the foreseeable future. "See you at next year's Meta Games, Mr. Allen."

Barry smiled. "You've got a year to practice, Dr. Snow. I'm not pulling any punches next year."

"Neither are we," Caitlin and Frost said together. Brown hair, ice-hardened voice.

Barry grinned.

* * *

Back in the lab, Cisco worked on the cure for hours. When he grew too tired and frustrated to continue, he pulled up the surveillance footage from the day, scanning through for his favorite moments from the Games. That brought a smile to his face. It hadn't been as hilarious as he'd expected, but he thought he'd done a good job. He would be able to look back on this day with a smile for years to come.


End file.
